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Sunday, December 17, 2006

Lord, our God, we praise You for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for He is Emmanuel, the Hope of all people.

He is the Wisdom that teaches and guides us.

He is the Savior of us all.

O Lord,let your blessing come upon us as we light two (purple) candles and the third (pink) of this wreath.

May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ’s promise of salvation.

May He come quickly and not delay.

We ask this in His holy name. Amen.

Rejoicing

"(The desert) will bloom with abundant flowers and rejoice with joyful song." "Rejoice in the Lord always!" "Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!"

The Scriptures for the Third Sunday of Advent proclaim their message in no uncertain terms: Rejoice! Joy is all around us and our celebration of Advent calls us to discover it. The joy that the Scripture passages speak about is not a joy that equates with hilarious laughter. It is a joy that comes from a security with our God, those around us, and our place in the world. It is the joy Isaiah describes when he writes, "I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul." It is a joy that cannot be bought or obtained from artificial highs. It is a joy that comes from our living faith in a living God.

It is the joy we feel as we approach the birth of our Savior and remember the awesome beauty of what happened on that cold Bethlehem night.

To my fellow Screaming Banshee Holiday friends (you ladies know who you are! ), I want to let you know that your prayers for me have been heard and answered.

On Friday, I finished making the last of the goodies for my Momsie in Florida.

As I finished making the rum balls, I gobbled down a couple of them as a celebratory measure, then braced myself for the packing ordeal that lay ahead.

I have to note that as the bubble wrap, shipping peanuts, packing tape, and brown kraft package paper were flying around the room, so too was my kitten Maggie McGee. She LOVES to help pack! But yesterday, I was oblivious to her antics. I had a glow on from those couple of rum balls (it doesn't take much to do that for me!) and mostly I was just so glad that life was going to become somewhat more sane again soon after getting the infernal and nefarious cookies packed and shipped.

Today, 24 and a half pounds of cookies, pumpkin bread, and gifts got shipped FedEx 3 Day Ground delivery. They wouldn't promise us the three days, but the shipping place said Thursday, December 21st was The Big Day.

And now I am going to watch a movie!

PS: If you're shipping - be sure to find out what size boxes are "kosher" with FedEx. My package to my mom would have cost nearly half what we paid today had I shipped in the appropriate sized box!

What joy this brings me, Lord. Thank you for guiding me into the kitchen for some time of silence with you. The room fills with wonderful smells and I share tastes and samples with my family as they make extra trips through the kitchen on days like this. Thank you for each and every one of these special people in my family. They are like the ingredients of my own life, adding spice and heat and wonderful flavor and melding together into a unique dish designed to glorify you.

You know, God, cooking is quite a bit like my life. It's messy, I get careless and sometimes things don't turn out as I had planned. But in the mess of my life, that's where I can turn to you. Help me when I have to deal with being so imperfect. Bless me with humility when I grapple with my own poverty. Let me feel how deeply you love me, even when all I have to offer is scorched and humble.

Be with me Lord, in this kitchen today. Help me to take the time in this intimate silence with you, to pray for each person who will eat this food. Allow me to remember all of those around the world who have so little food, and bless those who share what little they have.

The Gift of PraiseAppropriate mention, right in front of the other fellow, of superior qualities or of a job or deeds well done.The Gift of ConsiderationPutting yourself in the other's shoes andthus providing your genuine understanding of his side of the case.

The Gift of ConcessionHumbly saying at just the right point, "I am sorry, you are right and I am wrong."

The Gift of GratitudeNever forgetting to say "Thank You"and never failing to mean it.The Gift of AttentionWhen the other fellow speaks, listen attentively. If his words are directed to youpersonally, meet his eye squarely.The Gift of InspirationPlant seeds of courage and action in the other person's heart.

The Gift of Personal PresenceIn sickness, in trouble, or in great joy,there is nothing quite equal to your personal expression of sympathy or congratulations. Resolve to give these gifts each day. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you will receive in return.